The diary of a Saudi man, currently living in the United Kingdom, where the Religious Police no longer trouble him for the moment.

In Memory of the lives of 15 Makkah Schoolgirls, lost when their school burnt down on Monday, 11th March, 2002. The Religious Police would not allow them to leave the building, nor allow the Firemen to enter.

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Cartoons, again!

Sorry to keep going on about cartoons again. You see, it's a government edict that all newspapers and blogs are to keep on and on, at infinitely tedious length, about Danish cartoons, and under no circumstance mention the you-know-what at you-know-where that killed you-know-how-many. And being an obedient citizen, I can only comply.

Interestingly, a writer in the "Comments" section of the previous post has said that all the Friday sermons in Riyadh yesterday were on this very same subject of Danish cartoons, so obviously the Imams have been given the same instructions.

I am grateful to "Lehihamra" for pointing out the Quote of the Month in the latter article, a poignant comparison of Saudi and Western freedoms.

Abdullah Al-Othaim, executive president of Al-Othaim Holding Company, has said that his company would boycott of Danish products. “As Denmark has freedom of the press, we Muslims have freedom to buy or not to buy their products,” he said.So what else can I say? It's really hard work writing a post about this every day, what on earth can I fill it with? Oh yes, the Danes also supply NIDO powdered milk that we use a lot of. Here's a recipe for some sweets made with NIDO

Mix the NIDO powdered milk with baking powder. Then add the eggs and 4 Tablespoons of oil. Mix well and form into 1/2 inch balls, by rolling in your hands. If the mix becomes too dry to roll, add a little more beaten egg.In a pan combine the sugar with 1 1/2 cups of water, the cardamom, and the saffron. Boil for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool until warm (but no longer hot).In a frying pan, heat 1 Tablespoon of oil over medium-low heat. Add half of the balls. Cook until the balls are a light brown on all sides. Do this by constantly tilted and turning the pan, so the balls continually roll around from one side to another. Place the balls in the warm syrup. Allow to remain in the syrup for about five minutes or until you have finished frying the second half of the balls. Remove from the syrup and drain on kleenex tissue or kitchen paper. Cover with another piece of tissue or kitchen paper and allow to sit for at least three hours before serving. Enjoy!

Except if we're boycotting NIDO, we can't make them. But we can still think about them.

What else? Oh yes, a Saudi TV Preacher has been threatening Armageddon.